GAME ONE BOX SCORE

GAME TWO BOX SCORE

Austin, Texas – Garrett Slack went 2-for-3 and drove in a run to lead the Concordia University Texas baseball team to a 5-4 victory over Louisiana College in the first game of a doubleheader on Friday, Feb. 22 at Tornado Field. The Wildcats won the nightcap by a 7-2 score to earn the split.

In the opener, Louisiana College scored three times in the top of the first. After Jake Hillman hit an RBI single, Matt Scott drove in two runs with a double to the gap in left center to put the Wildcats ahead by a 3-0 score.

Concordia (6-7), which never led until the final play, fought back throughout the middle innings to get back into the game. A Garrett Slack RBI triple to left center got the scoring going in the fourth before Casey Skalaban was plated on an error in the fifth. The Wildcats tacked on another run in the top of the sixth, but Brent Schaekel made it a 4-3 game in the bottom of the same frame by hitting a single to right that scored Quinn Guest.

After Trey Pledger got out of a bases-loaded jam by forcing William Currier to fly out to right in the top of the seventh, the Tornados were able to take advantage of multiple Wildcat defensive blunders to win in walk-off fashion. Andrew Burns got things going with a one-out single up the middle, and pinch runner Toran Tillotson stole second to move into scoring position.

Brandon Hollier appeared to strike out swinging on the next play, but he was able to reach first base on a dropped third strike. Tyler Bain then reached on an error by the third baseman, allowing Tillotson to score, and Guest sent home Hollier for the winning run on a sacrifice fly to right.

Pledger, who relieved Austin Rupert in the seventh inning, picked up the victory by hurling one scoreless frame to improve to 1-o for Concordia. He allowed two hits, recorded one strikeout and issued one walk. Louisiana College's Seth Webster went the distance and suffered the loss to drop his record to 1-1. He gave up eight hits and five runs, including two earned, while striking out five and walking two.

Louisiana College (3-4) quickly got on the board in the nightcap as well, pushing two runs across in the top of the first on a Hillmann double to right center. Four frames later, the Wildcats doubled their lead to go ahead 4-0 by getting a sacrifice fly from Mark Riendeau as well as another Hillmann RBI single. Hillmann also plated two insurance runs in the seventh to allow the visitors to pull away.

Aaron Dunahoe suffered the loss for Concordia and dropped his record to 1-1. He surrendered four hits and four runs, including three earned, while fanning three and issuing three walks over four frames. Louisiana College's Madison Lachney picked up the victory and improved to 1-0 on the year after giving up seven hits and two runs, which were both earned, while going the distance on the mound. He had five strikeouts and issued just one free pass to first.

Concordia and Louisiana College will wrap up the three-game series tomorrow afternoon at 1 p.m.
-agate-
Louisiana College              300     001     0          4    10    4
Concordia                             000     111     2          5     8     0
Louisiana College: Seth Webster and Kyle Feazell.
Concordia: Austin Rupert, Trey Pledger (7) and Tyler Bain.

Louisiana College (3-4)     200     020     210     7     7     0
Concordia (6-7)                    000     000     020     2     7     2
     Louisiana College: Madison Lachney and Kyle Feazell.
     Concordia: Aaron Dunahoe, Colin Butschek (5), Bristan Clingaman and Gareth Hutton.